After playing consecutive home games for just the second time this season, the Dixie State women's basketball team is back on the road for three games in the Hawaiian Islands. The Storm tip off their three-game swing at Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday before a grudge match at Chaminade on Saturday and the trip finale at BYU-Hawaii on Tuesday.

All three games are set for a 5 p.m. Hawaiian Time (8 p.m. MT) tipoff, as the Storm look to bounce back from Monday's loss to Point Loma. Live audio coverage is scheduled on radio (X 91.3 FM) and Internet (SouthernUtahLive.com), with Devin Dixon providing play-by-play.

ALL-TIME IN HAWAII: Dixie State holds a 24-7 record in games played in Hawaii. The Storm have earned Hawaiian Island sweeps on four occasions, most recently in the 2013-2014 season with wins over Hawai'i Hilo, Chaminade, and Hawai'i Pacific.

ALL-TIME VS. HAWAI'I HILO: Thursday's game marks the 19th meeting between Dixie State and Hawai'i Hilo. The teams first met on Jan. 7, 2007 in Hilo, Hawaii, with DSU winning the inaugural matchup, 68-49. The Vulcans earned their first victory in the series the following year in Hilo. The Storm responded with a three-game win streak before UHH earned its second victory in the series on Feb. 7, 2009. Since then, DSU has won 11 of the last 12 matchups, including an 11-game win streak from 2010 to 2015. The Storm hold a 15-3 series lead, including a 5-3 mark in Hilo.

ALL-TIME VS. CHAMINADE: Saturday's game marks the 19th meeting between Dixie State and Chaminade. The teams first met on Jan. 9, 2007 in Honolulu, with the Storm winning the inaugural matchup, 75-39. The victory sparked a 16-game win streak in the series for DSU over the next eight years. The Silverswords snapped the winning streak last season, earning its first victory (78-74) in the series at the Burns Arena on Feb. 12, 2015. The Storm responded with a 103-86 win at home on January 5 in the most recent meeting.  DSU holds a 17-1 series lead, including a 9-0 mark in Honolulu. 

ALL-TIME VS. BYU-HAWAII: Tuesday's game marks the 15th meeting between Dixie State and BYU-Hawaii. The teams first met on Jan. 23, 2008 inside the Burns Arena. The Storm won the inaugural matchup, 73-53. BYU-Hawaii earned its first victory in the series Feb. 2, 2009, in Laie, Hawaii. DSU responded with a nine-game win streak before the Seasiders won the most recent matchup, a 76-66 victory on Jan. 8, 2015 in Laie. The Storm hold a 12-2 series lead, including a 4-2 mark in Laie.

KNOW YOUR FOE:  Hawai'i Hilo enters the weekend with a 3-9 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the PacWest with wins over BYU-Hawaii, Concordia and Fresno Pacific. Freshman guard Kim Schmelz (13.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg) leads the Vulcan attack, while junior guard Lauren Hong (9.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and junior forward Sydney Mercer (9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg) both sit on the bubble of double-figure scoring.

Chaminade enters the weekend with a 4-9 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the PacWest, having earned wins over Concordia, Holy Names, Hawai'i Hilo, and Fresno Pacific. CUH is led by junior forwards Lilia Maio (15.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Courtney Kaupu (10.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg), while junior guard Kristle Henry (9.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg) continues to be a big contributor.

BYU-Hawaii enters the weekend with a 6-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in the PacWest with two wins over Fresno Pacific and a victory over Chaminade. The Seasiders are led by senior guards Jiashan Cui (14.0 ppg), Valerie Nawahine (13.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and Celeste Claw (12.9 ppg, 6.4 apg, 4.9 rpg). 

"It's key that we continue to play together," head coach Jenny Thigpin said. "We need to play to our strengths and share the ball. Every game this week is a must-win for us. We're looking to get back to .500 while here on the islands."

LAST TIME OUT: The Dixie State women's basketball team dropped an 82-75 decision to Point Loma Monday afternoon after the Sea Lions used a third quarter surge to seal the victory.

The Storm conceded a 6-0 lead just two minutes into the first quarter, but used 10-1 run over the next two minutes to take a 10-7 advantage halfway through the period. The teams traded baskets through the rest the quarter, and Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman) pulled the teams even at 20-20 at the end of the first stanza.

DSU jumped out to a 34-27 lead halfway through the second quarter behind back-to-back baskets from Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery) and consecutive 3-pointers from Tomorie Sangster (Vacaville, Calif./Will C. Wood ). The Sea Lions wasted no time and used a 10-2 run to erase the deficit and take a 37-36 lead into the halftime break.

PLNU picked up where it left off in the third quarter, opening the period on a 16-2 run to seize momentum of the back and forth game. Like the first quarter, the teams traded baskets in the second half of the third stanza, and the Sea Lions took a 61-50 lead into the final quarter.
The Storm cut the lead to 61-55 on a Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial) jumper early in the final stanza, but PLNU responded with a 10-2 run to push the lead back to 71-57 with just over five minutes to play. However, DSU would not go down easy and responded with an 11-2 run to cut the lead to 73-68 with 2:03 to play. The Storm pulled to within three points at 76-73 after Brianna Jessop (Hyrum, Utah/Mountain Crest) grabbed an offensive and scored the putback basket, but DSU would get no closer, as the Sea Lions finished the game on a 6-2 run.

Dixie State shot 39 percent (30-of-77) from the field, 28 percent (7-of-25) from beyond the arc, and 80 percent (8-of-10) from the free throw line. The Storm dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Sea Lions 49-27, including 23-2 on the offensive glass. Mann led DSU with a team-high 27 points and 24 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season. Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) and Burge added nine points each, Jordan finished with eight points, and Sangster added six points on two 3-pointers.

YEAR TWO FOR THIGPIN: Head Coach Jenny Thigpin begins her second season at the helm of Dixie State women's basketball. She took over last season just two weeks before the season started, following the departure of Catherria Turner. Thigpin was named interim head coach in November, until the "interim" was dropped in January and she became the permanent head coach. Prior to her arrival at Dixie State, Thigpin spent two seasons as an assistant at Pacific West Conference member Fresno Pacific and four years coaching at Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif. As the head coach at Buchanan in 2009-10, she led the team to a 22-7 record (the most wins in school history), reaching the final four of the Central Section playoffs. Thigpin is joined by Adam Ross who returns for his second year as an assistant at Dixie State, and new assistant Teddy Fletcher, entering his first year at DSU.

2015-16 ROSTER: The Storm return four starters from last year, led by senior center Taylor Mann (Castle Dale, Utah/Emery), who averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds per game, and senior guard Leslie Tademy (Phoenix, Ariz./South Mountain) (7.5 ppg). Tademy led the Storm in assists in the 2014-15 season with 136 assists (5.2 per game). Also returning is senior guard Chermayne Moore (Pinole, Calif./Hercules)  (7.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and senior forward Brianna Jessop (Hyrum, Utah/Mountain Crest) (4.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg).

Three sophomore reserves also return in guards Sandria Bolden (Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman) (2.1 ppg), and Gabrielle Cabanero (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley) (2.0 ppg), and center Ashlee Burge (Riverton, Utah/Herriman) (1.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg). Additionally, the Storm welcome back redshirt freshman guard Tramina Jordan (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial).

Three junior college transfers join the Storm in junior guards Tomorie Sangster (Vacaville, Calif./Will C. Wood ), Aliya Davis (Everett, Wash./Woodcreek), and Cassidy Carrillo (La Mirada, Calif./St. Paul). Sangster played at Napa Valley College, averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game in two seasons. Davis played two seasons at Sierra College, where she averaged 6.6 points per game. Carrillo played at Cerritos College, averaging 8.3 points and two rebounds per game in two seasons for the Falcons.  

Freshman guard Raynie Maynes (Salome, Ariz./Salome) represents the only new freshman joining the team in 2015-16. Maynes comes to Dixie State after redshirting last season at the University of Great Falls, and is the younger sister of former Dixie State guard Taylor Maynes (Salome, AZ/Salome).

STORM PICKED NINTH IN PACWEST POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish ninth in the Pacific West Conference preseason coaches poll released in October, after finishing in the same spot with a 7-13 record in conference action last year. California Baptist was picked to win the PacWest, followed by Azusa Pacific, Academy of Art, Fresno Pacific, and Point Loma in the Top-5.

NEXT UP: The Storm host Hawai'i Pacific on January 30 at 5 p.m. to tip off a five-game homestand.